The magazines presented here are based on
light alloy magazines.For
steel magazines, increase weight by 2%; for plastic or synthetic magazines;
decrease weight by 8 percent.

For the most
part, the shells here have buckshot with 00 shot (the shot causing less damage
on the shotgun tables) or 0 shot (the shot causing more damage on the shotgun
tables). Some have stats for 000 shot. If, on the shotgun tables, only one type
of damage rate is listed, it will be based on 00 shot or possibly even lesser in
size. The Buckshot for these tables is based on lead shot. Slugs are simple
rifled lead projectiles, essentially large bullets fired through non-rifled
bores with rifling grooves in the projectiles themselves.Cases will be Shotgun as per
Fire, Fusion and Steel.The
standard case is plastic; for brass cases, increase weight by 0.1% (unless the
specific cartridge is listed as being a brass case).For paper/cardboard cases, reduce weight by 0.1%.

Most shotgun
shells have a more-or-less standard length.For purposes of these pages:

2-Inch:
50.8mm Long

2.5-Inch:
63.5mm Long

2.75-Inch:
69.85mm Long

3-Inch
Magnum: 76.2mm Long

3.5-Inch
Magnum: 88.9mm Long

.410-Gauge

Notes: The
.410-Gauge shell is designed primarily for small bird hunting, though with slugs
it is also a good small game round, and many argue that it is also an ideal
home-defense round, as it limits damage to the house and the recoil is
manageable for even small women, young teenagers, and even older children.The .410-Gauge round, due to its small caliber, is not limited merely to
shotguns; it is often chambered in revolvers, particularly those which are also
chambered for .45 Long Colt ammunition..410-Gauge is about the smallest-caliber round except for a few obsolete
shotgun rounds and some special-application handgun-type loadings, and for many
shooters that started shooting in their childhood, their first firearm was
chambered for .410-Gauge.Many
adults also like the .410-Gauge, as shotguns chambered for it are generally
light in weight and short in length, easily carried all day.Some competitive shooters also use the .410-Gauge for clay pigeon
shooting; the lesser amount of shot thrown by the round makes clay pigeon
shooting more challenging.2.5-inch
shells are primarily used in revolvers and used in relatively few shotguns;
2-inch shells are very rare and used only in a very few firearms.

Other Names:
.410-Bore, 68-Gauge

Actual Size:
10.41mm

Weight: (2
Shells) 16.25 kg per case of 1000; Price: $130 per case

(2.5 Shells) 20.25 kg per case of 1000; Price: $160 per case

(2.75 Shells) 22.25 kg per case of 1000; Price: $180 per case

(3 Shells) 24.38 kg per case of 1000; Price: $200 per case

Magazines:

Per round (2Shell): 0.013
kg

(2.5 Shell): 0.016 kg

(2.75 Shell): 0.018 kg

(3 Shell): 0.02 kg

2-round box (2.75 Shells): 0.09 kg

(3 Shells): 0.1 kg

5-round box (2.75 Shells): 0.17 kg

(3 Shells): 0.19 kg

8-round box (2.75 Shells): 0.26 kg

(3 Shells): 0.28 kg

10-round box (2.75 Shells): 0.31 kg

(3 Shells): 0.34 kg

32-Gauge

Notes: The 32-Gauge
shotgun shell was designed by American manufacturers originally in the late
1870s; until well into the 1930s, it was still a common shotgun round, but it
fell out of favor after that, and today, it is a rather rare chambering.The 32-Gauge round hangs on only because of this small but dedicated
following, and because of certain Russian and European manufacturers who use the
32-Gauge shell as a base or manufacture shotguns in this gauge.Because of this, there are also plastic-cased and brass-cased 32-Gauge
shells, though historically most 32-Gauge shells have been cardboard-cased.Most 32-Gauge shells have been 2.5-inch shells, though some firearms,
especially today, are designed for 2.75-Inch and/or 3-inch shells.32-Gauge shells are primarily produced in Europe these days, but not in
large numbers; Fiocchi in the US also produces small numbers of 32-Gauge 2.5
shells.

Actual Size:
13.36mm

Weight: (2.5
Shells) 2.94 kg per box of 100; Price: $27 per box

(2.75 Shells) 3.23 kg per box of 100; Price: $29 per box

(3 Shells) 3.52 kg per box of 100; Price $32 per box

Magazines:

Per round (2.5Shell):
0.027 kg

(2.75 Shell): 0.029 kg

(3 Shell): 0.032 kg

28-Gauge

Notes: The
28-Gauge shell is an old round, originating as a blackpowder round in the 1870s.The 28-Gauge round is today relatively rare, though several shotgun
manufacturers do make shotguns in 28-Gauge, and those numbers seem to be
growing.28-Gauge shotguns are
quite useful for hunting both small birds and some larger ones, and is used by
some competitive shooters for clay pigeon shooting.Though a good amount of 28-Gauge shotguns are made, the 28-Gauge is
limited by the fact that magnum shells are not made, and a .410-Gauge 3 magnum
round easily duplicates the 28-Gauge 2.75 round in performance.However, there is enough interest in the 28-Gauge round to keep
manufacturers making shotguns and shells in that gauge.Most shotguns in this chambering fire 2.75 shells; 2.5 shells are by
comparison quite rare.In addition,
slug rounds in 28-Gauge are also a bit on the rare side.

Actual Size:
13.97mm

Weight: (2.5
Shells) 36.5 kg per case of 1000; Price: $290 per case

(2.75
Shells) 40.13 kg per case of 1000; Price: 320 per case

Magazines:

Per round (2.5Shell):
0.029 kg

(2.75 Shell): 0.032 kg

24-Gauge

Notes: This
gauge is largely considered obsolete, though there are some shotguns produced by
Italian manufacturers FAIR and Fausti that still chamber this obscure gauge,
along with small numbers by some other European shotgun manufacturers.As a result, ammunition is still produced in small lots by Beretta, CBC,
and Fiocchi, and in even smaller numbers by some other ammunition manufacturers.The 24-Gauge shotgun reached its heyday in the 1930s when several
European manufacturers made shotguns in this gauge as well as some being made in
the US by Stevens and by Harrington & Richardson, but today the 24-Gauge enjoys
only a small following as sort of an intermediate cartridge between .410-Gauge
and 20-Gauge.Firearms chambered
for 2.5-inch 24-Gauge shells are relatively rare.

Actual Size:
14.73mm

Weight: (2.5
Shells) 3.58 kg per box of 100; Price: $33 per box

(2.75 Shells) 3.93 kg per box of 100; Price: $36 per box

(3 Shells) 4.29 kg per box of 100; Price: $39 per box

Magazines:

Per round (2.5Shell):
0.033 kg

(2.75 Shell): 0.036 kg

(3 Shell): 0.039 kg

20-Gauge

Notes: One of
the most popular shotgun rounds out there, the 20-Gauge is not only a main-line
hunting cartridge, it is used in many youth shotguns and competition shotguns.It is also a popular choice for home defense shotguns, and has even been
considered here and there for police and military shotguns.The 20-Gauge shotgun is useful against most of the fowl that a 12-Gauge
shotgun is used against, and allows for a shotgun that is a lighter, easier to
tote package that has less recoil than a 12-Gauge shotgun.At first considered an anemic round when first introduced in the 1870s,
the 20-Gauge got a significant boost from its conversion to modern propellant,
allowing for more power and heavier shot loads to be fired, as well as making
20-Gauge slugs useful.20-Gauge
magnum shells virtually duplicate 16-Gauge 2.75 shells for performance, and the
shotguns that fire 20-Gauge shells are far more numerous than those which fire
16-Gauge shells.2.5-inch shells
are relatively scarce.

Just an aside:
The 20-Gauge round once indirectly saved the life of a sergeant I had when I was
in the Army.His wife was trying to
kill him, and was trying to load 20-gauge shells into 12-gauge bird gun he was
able to get out of the house and call the police.

Actual Size:
15.62mm

Weight: (2.5
Shells) 45.63 kg per case of 1000; Price: $370 per case

(2.75 Shells) 50.25 kg per case of 1000; Price: $400 per case

(3 Shells) 54.75 kg per case of 1000; Price: $440 per case

Magazines:

Per round (2.5Shell):
0.037 kg

(2.75 Shell): 0.04 kg

(3 Shell): 0.044 kg

2-round box (2.75 Shells): 0.21 kg

(3 Shells): 0.23 kg

5-round box (2.75 Shells): 0.39 kg

(3 Shells): 0.43 kg

8-round box (2.75 Shells): 0.58 kg

(3 Shells): 0.63 kg

10-round box (2.75 Shells): 0.7 kg

(3 Shells): 0.76 kg

16-Gauge

Notes: To many,
it is surprising that the 16-Gauge round is still in existence, since the
20-Gauge 3-inch shell can basically do everything a 16-Gauge 2.75 shell can do,
and a 12-Gauge 2.75-inch shell can do as much or more than a 16-Gauge 3-inch
shell can do.Nonetheless, the
16-Gauge round has a good-sized following, and lots of shotguns are still made
in 16-Gauge. The ammunition is still made in good numbers.Even modern loads are made for the 16-Gauge round, such as steel shot and
bismuth shot.Like many modern
shotgun rounds, the 16-Gauge round began in 1870s as a blackpowder round, and
benefitted greatly from smokeless powder loadings.2.75-inch shells for the 16-Gauge are the most common; 2.5-inch shells
are a bit less common, though 3-inch magnum shells are actually gaining in
popularity.The 16-Gauge round,
despite its seeming obsolescence, will probably be around for a long time to
come.

Actual Size:
16.81mm

Weight: (2.5
Shells) 52.88 kg per case of 1000; Price: $420 per case

(2.75 Shells) 58.13 kg per case of 1000: Price: $470 per case

(3 Shells): 63.38 kg per case of 1000; Price: $510 per case

Magazines:

Per round (2.5Shell):
0.042 kg

(2.75 Shell): 0.047 kg

(3 Shell): 0.051 kg

12-Gauge

Notes: The
12-Gauge round is the current king of shotgun rounds; virtually every shotgun
produced at present is either chambered for 12-Gauge rounds or has a chambering
in 12-Gauge.Round sizes range from
short 2.5-inch shells to huge 3.5-inch Magnum (sometimes called Super Magnum)
shells, with many specialist shells of odd sizes or unusual (sometimes, very
unusual) loadings being made.The
12-Gauge may in fact be the most popular firearms round ever produced, perhaps
exceeded only by the .22 Long Rifle round in popularity. 12-Gauge guns have been
produced since shortly after cartridge guns were invented, and were some of the
first rounds produced using modern propellants.The popularity is because the 12-Gauge round is so popular  it can be
loaded with a large amount of birdshot or heavy 000 buckshot, as well as a wide
variety of special loads.It can be
subloaded for lower recoil and pressure or hotloaded for more power (especially
using brass cases).It can be had
with virtually any case material  paper, plastic, or brass or steel.Several types of slug rounds are available, making the 12-Gauge round
useful as an all-purpose gun to hunters.Even if you take only the biggest three 12-Gauge round manufacturers, you
have 435 different shell sizes and loadings to work with.The military has developed several special loadings and (which will be
listed further down the page); the HK CAWS program weapon was based on modified
12-Gauge all-brass shells.The
12-Gauge round is literally used in every corner of the world, and handloading a
12-Gauge round is easy.12-Gauge
guns are used by everyone from military entry teams to civilians wanting a
home-defense weapon.The 12-Gauge
round will not be going away any time soon.

Actual Size:
18.52mm

Weight: (2.5
Shells) 64.13 kg per case of 1000; Price: $510 per case

(2.75 Shells) 70.5 kg per case of 1000; Price: $560 per case

(3 Shells) 77 kg per case of 1000; Price: $620 per case

(3.5 Shells) 89.75 kg per case of 1000; Price: $720 per case

Magazines:

Per round (2.5Shell):
0.051 kg

(2.75 Shell): 0.056 kg

(3 Shell): 0.062 kg

(3.5 Shell): 0.072 kg

3-round box (2.75 Shells): 0.37 kg

(3 Shells): 0.41 kg

4-round box: (2.75 Shells): 0.46 kg

(3 Shells): 0.51 kg

5-round box (2.75 Shells): 0.55 kg

(3 Shells): 0.6 kg

6-round box (2.75 Shells): 0.64 kg

(3 Shells): 0.7 kg

7-round box (2.75 Shells): 0.72 kg

(3 Shells): 0.79 kg

8-round box (2.75 Shells): 0.81 kg

(3 Shells): 0.88 kg

10-round box (2.75 Shells): 0.98 kg

(3 Shells): 1.07 kg

10-round drum or cassette (2.75 Shells): 1.08 kg

(3 Shells): 1.18 kg

12-round box (2.75 Shells): 1.15 kg

(3 Shells): 1.26 kg

20-round drum (2.75 Shells): 1.98 kg

(3 Shells): 2.22 kg

12-Gauge
Aguila Mini-Shell

Notes: The
Aguila Mini-Shell was produced especially for the Centurion Ordnance Poseidon MS
(MicroShotgun); the shotgun is primarily sold in the US, though the shotgun
itself is produced in Turkey and the ammunition by Aquila in Mexico.Currently, only buckshot is produced by Aquila, though they are examining
the possibility of producing slug rounds.The Aquila is a very short (44.45mm length) shell which allows for very
high-capacity shotguns in weapons of short length, though of course the range
and amount of shot thrown are correspondingly low.The Aquila mini-shell is aimed at for the home-defense market, though
military and police concerns have examined shotguns firing this round to limit
collateral damage.Currently, only
a small handful of shotguns are designed for the Aquila Mini-Shell, though some
have developed modifications of standard shotguns for the round, with mixed
success.

Actual Size:
18.52mm

Weight: 3.95 per
box of 100; Price: $72 per box

Magazines:

Per round: 0.036 kg

10-Gauge

Notes: 10-Gauge
is about the largest shotgun shell that is commonly available, though the round
and the shotguns that fire them are relatively quite rare.The introduction of 12-Gauge 3-inch and 3.5 Magnum shells have largely
worked against the use of the big 10-Gauge shotguns, particularly the 2.75-inch
version of the shell, as they are capable of duplicating the 10-Gauge 2.75-inch
shell in most respects in a round which has less kick and is cheaper.Time was, however, when the 10-Gauge was a common shell, before the
introduction of 12-Gauge magnum shells in the early 1900s; before that, the
10-Gauge was the shotgun to have.Perhaps its most famous user was Doc Holliday, who used one at the famous
OK Corral shootout in its blackpowder days.Today, however, the 10-Gauge has only a small, if devoted, following, and
the shotguns that fire 10-Gauge are rather rare.Most of these shotguns fire magnum loads, as these produce the only shot
patterns and volume that cannot be reproduced by the 12-Gauge.10-Gauge rounds come in some odd shell lengths, however, that fall in
between the standard shotgun shell lengths.Most manufacturers of the 10-Gauge round are located in England and the
US these days, and they produce only relatively small lots at any one time.In most jurisdictions in the world, 10-Gauge is the largest bore of
shotgun that civilians are allowed to own.

Actual Size:
19.69mm

Weight: (2.5
Shell) 5.86 kg per box of 100; Price: $116 per box

(2.75 Shell) 7.02 kg per box of 100; Price: $128 per box

(3 Shell) 7.66 kg per box of 100; Price: $140 per box

(3.5 Shell) 8.93 per box of 100; Price: $162 per box

Magazines:

Per round (2.5Shell):
0.058 kg

(2.75 Shell): 0.064 kg

(3 Shell): 0.07 kg

(3.5 Shell): 0.081 kg

23mm Drozd

Notes: Fired
only by the Russian KS-23 Drozd shotgun, the 23mm Drozd shell is fired only by
the Russian KS-23 Drozd shotgun.It
is equivalent roughly to a 4-Gauge shotgun in size and whether is a shotgun
round or a grenade is debatable, though the KS-23 is primarily used as a
special-purpose shotgun.The
standard KS-23 fires from a tubular magazine; the KS-23M uses an underbarrel box
magazine, which is itself huge.The
23mm Drozd is itself a rather very weapon, and the rounds also rare.Though the 23mm Drozd is used to throw large amounts of shot, some of
specialist rounds are available.
The Anti-Vehicular round is a large steel-cored round designed to penetrate
light armor or things like engine blocks, and costs double standard prices.CS rounds are also available, at quadruple normal prices.

Other Names:
4-Gauge (though this is incorrect)

Actual Size:
23x75mm

Weight: 10.29 kg
per box of 100; Price: $94 per box

Per round: 0.094 kg

5-round box: 0.91 kg

Special Rounds

Steel and
Bismuth Shot

Notes:
Environmentalists have, with some legitimacy, objected to the use of hunters
firing of 12-gauge shot against waterfowl, citing lead contamination of
wetlands.Hunters have countered,
again with some legitimacy, that the use of a substitute, steel shot, makes the
buckshot too light, reduces range, and widens the spread too fast.The steel shot is much more
biodegradable, though it does still contaminate the environment to some extent.Steel shot also tends to be harder on a barrel, as it is harder than lead
shot (though not hard enough to increase penetration in
Twilight 2000v2.2 terms; some sources say that
large amounts of steel shot can reduce barrel lifetime by half.The GM will have to wing it here as far as the increased wear of shotgun
barrels firing a lot of steel shot.

A compromise of
sorts was reached with the use of shot made of bismuth.The problem with bismuth rounds is that they are more expensive than
regular or steel shot, and bismuth is still not natural to the environment,
though it does biodegrade faster than lead (though not steel).It does not cause the increased barrel wear as steel shot. A strike
against them is that they are still not as heavy and dont have the range of
lead shot.

To simulate the
use of steel shot in Twilight 2000 v2.2 terms, reduce the damage of shot by two
points per die, and reduce range by 15%.As stated above, the GM will have to adjudicate increased barrel wear,
though this will only affect the gun only after large amounts of steel shot are
fired (say, 10 shots per day for a month).

To simulate the
effects of bismuth shot, reduce damage of shot by one point per die, and reduce
range by 10%.

12-Gauge
Specialist Rounds

Notes: Due to
its ubiquity, a large amount of special rounds have been devised for use with
12-Gauge shotguns.These rounds are
often for use by military and police concerns only, and have a narrow range of
applications.

Baton and Rubber Rounds

Baton and Rubber
rounds are designed to be minimally-lethal rounds (they are not entirely
nonlethal, though the chances of a lethal injury is substantially reduced.When firing a baton or rubber round, damage is resolved the same as for
slug rounds, but only 25% of the damage is permanent damage, healed as the
standard firearms combat damage.
The rest is temporary damage that heals at a rate of 1 point per 10 minutes (it
equates to bruising and suchlike).
Head wounds heal at a rate of one point per 20 minutes, and half the damage is
permanent damage.Baton and Rubber
rounds have a penetration of Nil, regardless of range.Baton rounds have their range reduced by 20%; rubber rounds are not so
affected.

Beanbag Rounds

Beanbag rounds
open up into a small beanbag after traveling at least 10 meters from the muzzle
of the shotgun; range is reduced by 30% when firing a beanbag round due to
extreme drag.Similar rounds for
Twilight 2000 v 2.2 purposes include rubber cross rounds, which open up, as
the same suggests, into a rubber cross. The beanbag round works as the rubber
slug above, except that only 10% is permanent damage (20% for a head hit), and
knockdown chances are doubled. Beanbag rounds cost 1.5 times the standard cost
for 12-Gauge shotgun rounds.

Bolo

This round
consists of two balls joined together by a wire.Only two balls are fired, but the combination does damage like a slug
round.

Breaching Rounds

Breaching rounds
are very short-ranged rounds designed specifically to blow out hinges or locks
of doors.They generally consists
of a large charge of metal powder which is propelled by a larger-than-normal
propellant charge.Such a round is
80% likely to blow out a hinge or lock per 25mm of thickness of an average
wooden door; metal doors are much less likely to be penetrated (10% change).A dense wood door is only 50% likely to have its hinges or lock blown
off.Used as an antipersonnel
round, resolve the damage as a slug round, but short range is 5 meters. Damage
at 5 meters is only 3d6, and at 10 meters only 1d6.Beyond that, the round does no damage.Penetration is not only Nil, but any sort of body armor or thick clothing
will mean that the round does no damage.

Double Mule

This shot
round has only two large balls, but damage of each ball causes 3d6 damage.

Explosive Rounds

These contain a
small explosive charge instead of a standard shotgun load.When personnel are hit by an explosive round, the round causes 1.75 times
the damage of a slug round (rounded down); penetration is always 2-2-2.The round has a concussion of 1 and a burst of 1; against vehicles;
penetration is -2C.Range is the
same as for a shot round. Attempting to load a magazine or tube with multiple
Explosive rounds will instantly result in a jam when the weapon is fired, though
the first round will feed.
Explosive rounds cost 6 times the normal cost of 12-Gauge rounds.A variant of the Explosive shell is the Frag shell; this increases
collateral damage to C0B2, though
it decreases penetration vs. vehicles to Nil, and penetration vs. personnel to
3-3-3.Explosive shells cost five
times the normal cost.

Flamer Rounds

There are a
number of different brands and types of rounds that are collectively called here
12-Gauge Flamer rounds.These
rounds produce a gout of flame just beyond the muzzle of the weapon (to protect
the barrel). Flamer rounds are available in 2.75-inch and 3-inch shells.The range of these rounds is 5 meters.2.75-inch rounds produce a gout of flame 0.5 meters wide and a short
range of 15 meters; this has the effects of a flamethrower burst within that
area of effect.The 3-inch shell
has the same effects, but the short range is 20 meters.The flame gout is nearly instantaneous, lighting and burning out in less
than one second.The Flamer will
not cycle in a semiautomatic shotgun, with the exception of cylinder-fed
shotguns like the Protecta. (The Pancor Jackhammer cannot chamber these round,
due to the cassette feed and automatic fire mode).Attempting to load a magazine or tube with multiple Flamers in a
semiautomatic shotgun will instantly result in a jam when the weapon is fired,
though the first round will feed. Flamer rounds cost 10 times the cost listed
above for 12-Gauge rounds.

Flares

Shotgun flares
function essentially like normal flares (see Signaling Device Rules), but the
altitude feature is twice the shot range of the shotgun. Virtually any color is
available.

Device

Size

Weight

Burn Time

Burst

Altitude

Price

Shotgun Flare

18.52mm

0.1 kg

2

B1/2K

2xRange

$1

Flechette

This does damage
as per standard 2d6-type buckshot, but each flechette has a penetration of 1-Nil
(if the table indicates no penetration) or 1-1-Nil (if the penetration indicated
on the table is 1-Nil).Cost is
three times the standard cost.This
round includes such rounds as Atlas Ammos Shredder.

Irritant Gas Rounds

These shells are
filled with irritant gas, usually CS.The amount of gas is small and has one-quarter the size of cloud and
length of cloud persistence as a CS grenade.Range is 60% of a shot or slug load.Cost is four times that of a standard round.

Less-Than-Lethal Pellets

This type of
load can consist of plastic pellets, rubber pellets, or hollow steel or aluminum
balls.They cause the same damage
as standard buckshot, but only 25% of the damage is permanent damage, healed
as the standard firearms combat damage.The rest is temporary damage that heals at a rate of 1 point per 10
minutes (it equates to bruising and suchlike).Head wounds heal at a rate of one point per 20 minutes, and half the
damage is permanent damage.
Penetration is always Nil.Range is
reduced by 20% unless the load is rubber pellets; range of rubber pellets is not
affected.

Pit Bull

The Pit Bull
consists of a combination of buckshot and a lead slug.This results in a combination of effects  the buckshot does normal
1d6-type damage, and the slug does the same damage as a lead slug, minus 1d6.Range is -25%.

Shotgun Sabots

Shotgun sabots
are slug rounds which use a subcaliber penetrator to increase the effectiveness
of slug rounds.The result is a
smaller round flying at a higher velocity; they are generally still soft lead
rounds, though sometimes with a steel core.Sabot rounds are resolved use the standard slug round as a base, but
damage is lowered by one point per die, and penetration is increased by one
level (1-Nil becomes 1-1-Nil, 2-3-Nil or 2-4-Nil becomes 1-2-Nil, etc.) Range is
increased by 20%, and most sabot rounds use rifling for the round itself to spin
the round.Cost is double what is
listed above.Note that Sabot
rounds can make somewhat effective antivehicle rounds.